Box-fastener.



G. W. BEEHLER. BOX FASTENER. APPLIOATION FILED 1111.31, 1910.

Patented Nov. 15,1910.

UNETED TATE PATENT @FFKQE.

CHARLES VT. BEEI-ILER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BOX-FASTENER.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. BEEHLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Box-Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a box fastener, of the type generally used on beer and egg cases, and employing a spring hook, securely held upon a plate or keeper positioned on the interior of the box or case, and the upper portion of said hook being adapted to pass through an opening in the cover of the box or case, and engage a locking plate positioned on top of said cover.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a simple, efficient box fastener, which can be made from comparatively cheap material thereby materially reducing the cost of manufacture of the fastener.

In my improved fastener the hook is so formed, and is attached to the base plate or keeper in such a manner as to create the degree of resiliency necessary to cause said hook to properly engage the locking plate carried by the cover, thereby holding said cover securely in position on the box or case.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain features of novelty hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings ;Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a box equipped with my improved fastener. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the plate or keeper in which the lower portion of the spring catch is seated, and showing the positions of the parts while being as sembled. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the plate or keeper before the spring catch is positioned thereon. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken through the lower portion of the spring catch and illustrating the relative positions of the outwardly bent lower ends and the hook on the upper end. Fig. 7 is an elevation of a modified form of the plate or keeper. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings A designates one of the walls Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 31, 1910.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 541,080.

of the box or case and B the box cover. Formed in said cover B in alinement with the inner face of the wall A is an opening 1, and positioned on top of the cover B immediately over said opening is a locking plate 2 preferably formed of sheet metal, and provided with an opening 3 which coincides with the opening 1 in the cover B.

- Fixed on the inner face of the wall A a short distance below the top of said wall is a plate 4, preferably stamped from suitable sheet metal, and stamped or pressed from the central portion of this plate A is a vertically disposed rib or housing 5 which forms a keeper for the lower portion of the spring catch forming a portion of my improved fastener.

The rib or housing 5 terminates a short distance below the upper edge of the plate 4, and said plate is slotted vertically as designated by 6 immediatel above the side of said rib or housing in arc er that the ma terial of said plate 4: immediately above said rib or housing can be bent outward at right angles to the body of the plate, as shown in Fig. 4 to permit the spring hook or catch to be placed in position upon said plate 4:. After the spring catch has been properly positioned on the plate the outwardly bent portion of said plate over the rib 5 is bent downward, so as to occupy the same plane with the body of said plate as shown in Fig. 3.

The spring catch forming a part of my improved box fastener is preferably constructed of a single length of wire bent double, and the central portion being formed into a hook 8 which when the cover is in position on the box engages through the opening 1 in said cover and bears upon the look ing plate 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The lower portion of this spring catch occupies the upper portion of the rib or housing 5, and the lower ends of the legs of the catch are bent outward and projected through openings 9 formed in the side walls in this rib or housing 5.

The outer portion of the outwardly bent lower ends of the catch bear against the face of the plate 4, and owing to the angular po sitions of the outwardly bent portion relative to the vertical plane occupied by the legs of the catch a certain amount of torsion will be established in the legs of the spring catch, which torsion tends to hold said legs against the face of the wall A, and consequently maintain the hook 8 on the upper end of the catch in proper position upon the locking plate 2.

The angular positions of the outwardly bent lower ends of'the legs of the spring hook relative to the vertical plane occupied by said legs is clearly shown in Fig. 6. The positions assumed by the lower portion of the legs of the spring hook at the time same is applied to the plate or keeper 4 is shown in Fig. 4. After the outwardly bent lower ends of the spring hook are inserted through the aperture 9 the portion of plate 4 immediately over the rib or housing 5 is bent downward behind the legs of the spring catch after which the plate 4 is fixed to the inner face of the wall A.

In. Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a modified form of plate 4 and in which modified form the outwardly bent lower ends of the spring catch 7 occupies positions beneath tongues 4 formed by slitting the lower portion of said plate. When it is desired to lock the cover on the box a sealing wire is positioned beneath the lock 8 and through a suitably formed aperture in the plate 2 (see Fig. 3).

A box fastener of my improved construction is very simple comprises a minimum number of parts and as said parts can be manufactured from comparatively cheap material, said fasteners can be produced at a very low cost. The two parts of the fastener are easily and quickly assembled and placed into position for use.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the form and construction of the various parts of my improved fastener can be made for those herein shown and de scribed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim In a box fastener, the combination with a plate on which is formed a housing, and there being apertures formed in the side walls of the housing, of a spring catch formed of a single length of wire bent double, a hook on the upper end of the catch, and the ends of the wire forming said catch being bent outward and extending through the apertures formed in the side walls of the housing on the plate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature" in the presence of two witnesses, this 25th day of January, 19-10.

. CHARLES W. BEEHLER.

lVitnesses D. W. SWIFT, LOUIS M. HULL. 

